I know I haven't been very active on the forum lately, and I figured it's about time to share a peek at what I've been working on. It's the next new Pishtech game, a full-3D bass fishing game. In this one you'll get to explore several large lakes in one of four types of fishing boats, compete in virtual bass tournaments, plus fish for the other species in the ice fishing game. Unlike other full-3D fishing games the surface of the water is realistically translucent, so (at least in relatively shallow water and in the clearest lakes) you can see the bottom, vegetation, logs, and of course the fish. The boats are a lot of fun to drive, with a choice of views including a first-person view from the 3D drivers seat. They range from a little 14 foot open V with a 10 horsepower tiller outboard on up to a 70 mile-per-hour bass boat.

I'm pushing hard for my goal of a December 1st release date, but there's a whole lot of work to do to make that happen (hence this post at 3 AM local time.) You'll recognize a few things from Ice Fishing Derby, but the graphics are better, the models more detailed, etc. The water effects, most of the vegetation and the boats are done. I've just finished modeling baitcasting tackle and posing the player-character through the motions of casting and retrieving with it.

Here are a few screen shots to show what's done so far: http://www.pishtech.com/coming_soon.html You can click on each image to see a high-res (1280x800) version. I'll try to take a break from development before long to get a sample video on-line.

My dream fishing game:I wished a 3D Flyfishing game, where you can move to different waters (per feet, car or waterplane) and explore the bank, wade in the water and fish there. A little bit like the most of hunting games. I would like to walk through woods and find a small creek for trout, after another walk discover a big stream for salmon-fishing and so on..A lodge at that areas with a (my) trophy-wall, equipment, maps and a corner for flytying could be the cherry on top. But I know, it would be very hard to create such game...

BTW: Do you think to find eventually the time for work on a RWFF Update with a better flybox-manager? I think some new featues like this are very necessary, before the game is absolutely dead. Most of the RWFF-User are gone away in the meantime. Many thanks to Richard who hold the fort..

Thanks for the feedback, everybody! Yes, I do plan to make some updates to RWFF, and a way to organize the huge assortment of flies that are possible now is definitely going to be a helpful feature. My focus will be mostly on the new game at least until it's ready for beta testing though, and it's going to take a lot of long days and nights to get there on schedule.

When it's done I hope you'll agree that it is in fact a lot different from the other 3D bass games out there. I've eagerly bought a lot of fishing games over the years, always looking for one that really made it feel like I was fishing. I've always been disappointed, especially by the appearance of the water (pretty, but unrealistic) and the fish behavior. I've always come away with the impression that they were designed for "gamers" more than for fishermen.

I personally haven't seen a 3D fishing game with a realistic first person view with variable water clarity. Lots of games have great graphics except that the surface is completely opaque. From above the surface you can't see an inch under the surface so you don't know if you're casting into deep water or onto a shallow reef or weed bed, until the lure hits the water and then you get an underwater view. In this game the water surface isn't opaque, but lets you see into the water, depending on the clarity of the lake, while still reflecting the landscape and refracting the underwater scene.

I've just added a few more screen shots of the progress on the new game to the same page. In recent days I've added largemouth and smallmouth bass, and all the lures. There are 29 lure models, each in a range of colors for a total of 888 lures. They'll all be available in multiple sizes, so when all is said and done the range of possible lures will be in the thousands. Not all will be in stock at the bait shop at any given time, though. =)

Right now I'm integrating the core engine of Fishlogix. Fishlogix computes the solar and lunar factors and uses the location, date, weather, and habitat to predict water temperature, fish activity, spawning behavior, preferred structure and cover, and effectiveness of any specific lure and presentation. As a separate product Fishlogix uses all that to create a fishing plan, telling you where to find the fish and how to catch them depending on the conditions. As part of the new fishing game, all that computation goes into the artificial intelligence of the virtual fish. That will make them react to a wide range of conditions the way real fish do, more so (I think it's safe to say) than fish in any game out there.

As in the real world there are conditions when catching fish is easy - throw your favorite lure in a likely-looking spot and you'll get action, and conditions where it takes more searching and/or skill to find and catch fish. I think you'll find that like in a good simulation of any challenge (racing, flying, etc) if you're an expert at the real thing, you'll do really well in the game. And if you're less experienced at the real thing, what you learn by playing the game will pay off in the real world. That's the real goal here - a fishing game that's fun and feels real when you play it, and that simulates the real thing with enough detail and accuracy that it helps you become a better angler.

Of course you'll have a fish finder, underwater camera, and the ability to consult a guide. And of course there will be several skill level settings, so you'll be able to pick the level of challenge you like.

Well, I'd better get back to it. Next time I share a progress update I'll try to get a video on-line.